ReportersNotebook

SUPPLIER NEWS — Maybelline New York has stepped into the lip treatment category with the creation of its new Baby Lips Repairing Lip balm with SPF 20, available at mass market retailers beginning in October. Baby Lips Repairing Lip has a suggested retail price of $3.99 each and comes in six SKUs: Quenched and Peppermint (both clear) and tinted shades called Cherry Me, Pink Punch, Grape Vine and Peach Kiss.

In other news, Maybelline New York has expanded its mascara portfolio with the September launch of Great Lash Lots of Lashes, featuring a new heart-shaped elastomer brush to simplify the application process.

I Love… Cosmetics, a U.K.-based company that makes “I Love…” products for bath and body, officially announced its foray into the U.S. market. Launched in mid-September, items are available at all Duane Reade stores. By the end of 2011, I Love… is slated to hit Walmart, Lewis Drug, Navarro Discount Pharmacies and Army & Air Force Exchange Service, as well as Drugstore.com, CVS.com and Walgreens.com. An additional 5,200 doors are planned for 2012, including Rite Aid, Meijer, Fred Meyer and Pamida.

Nicole by OPI is launching for the holidays Kardashian Kolors, a line of nail lacquer shades inspired by the Kardashians. The collection is comprised of 14 shades, including It’s All About the Glam, a shimmering white glitz for the glamorous gal; Kim-pletely in Love, a pink of her dreams; and Disco Dolls, a glittery gold glam gone wild. Kardashian Kolors will be available for $7.99 each.

Convenience equals growth

Sales of home-testing kits, not including pregnancy test kits or ovulation test kits, have grown just under 8% over the past year, according to Angie Echele, VP at Genesis Sales and Marketing. And as pharmacy continues to realize its role as a community healthcare hub, the business of home-testing kits is only going to grow, Echele added.

“Many families choose a pharmacy for flu shots, immunizations and school physicals because pharmacies are approachable and offer a familiar environment,” she said. But there are many other services that pharmacies have yet to tap into — collecting and processing specimen samples for test kits sold off of the shelf may be one opportunity to expand health-related services, she said.

Two of the more recent product introductions into the market, Identigene’s DNA paternity test and STD test, have been doing well. Sales of the DNA paternity test kit were up 19.2% in the past year, Echele said, and the STD test, though not yet back on the market, “is part of a wave of new tests striving to answer real health needs within this ‘sweet spot’ of accessibility and affordability,” Echele added. The STD test currently is undergoing FDA clinical trials, and Identigene expects to have the test back to shelf in 2012.

The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Diagnostics Sell-Through Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.

At-home color shines

Gel manicures are one of the more popular salon services in the professional market, and now beauty mavens can create the look at home — for a fraction of the price — thanks to several new innovations hitting the mass market. As a result, the nail color segment at mass is likely to experience continued growth.

After years of lackluster sales, nail color has, and continues to be, a shining star at mass with sales experiencing double-digit gains. Now, several manufacturers are launching at-home gel polish to further drive sales and bring the salon experience home.

Red Carpet Manicure in September launched nationwide at Ulta its at-home LED gel polish manicure and pedicure system, which offers 36 different shades of gel polish. A full system costs $57.94, or $2.90 each for 20 at-home applications.

Pacific World has developed its new SensatioNail gel polish system, which will hit the mass market as early as November on a promotional basis before rolling out on a larger scale in next year’s planogram. SensatioNail, which also works with an LED light, offers a range of 12 shades of gel polish. A starter kit, offering enough product for 10 manicures, will be priced at $50 to $60.

CCA Industries began shipping in September its new Nutra Nail Gel Perfect UV-free gel color, which is available in 12 shades for $11.99 each, which is about $3 per application.

Another innovative product making major waves in nail color is Sally Hansen’s Salon Effects, which is the No. 1 cosmetics launch in 2011 year to date.

To learn more about what nail trends are being spotted in professional nail salons, check out the new Kiss-sponsored video at DrugStoreNews.com.

The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Nail Care Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.

RELATED NEWS

Sam’s Club senior vice president and GMM of consumable and health and wellness will be retiring at the end of the fiscal year, a Sam’s Club spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Turner-Mitchael is a 26-year veteran of the company, having joined Walmart in 1992 as a pharmacist in Lubbock, Texas.

Grocery retailer and wholesaler Supervalu has shared the results from its fiscal 2018 third-quarter, which included a boon to its wholesale business in the form of its Unified Grocers acquisition, even as retail sales declined. The Minneapolis-based company’s total continuing operations saw net sales of $3.94 billion — up 31% from $3 billion in the same period last year.

RLA Collective, an OTC/healthcare-focused integrated marketing agency, made the 2018 Innovation SABRE Awards shortlist for three programs in digital/marketing: “Best in Digital Marketing/Advertising” for an integrated media campaign with Vetoquinol U.S.A; “Best Use of Video Networks” utilizing Facebook LIVE to showcase pet care advice from Tomlyn's resident veterinarians; and “Best in Brand Narratives” for a unique video testimonial influencer campaign, “VSL#3: The Journey Back," (featured above) the company announced last week.

Petrics, a pet health technology company, is looking to make tracking weight, activity levels and rest periods a whole lot easier for pet owners. By launching the Smart Pet Bed, Activity Tracker, pet Health and Nutrition App, the Las Vegas-based company is aiming to help those four-legged family members achieve optimal weight ranges.

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